Leeann Froese
For this issue I wanted to share something new that really would give the “wow” factor for being innovative when it comes to marketing. Not so easy.
It seems by now its all been done.
Then it occurred to me that just because I, as someone who does marketing for a living, am aware of these techniques, you might not be, so I will recap some of the ways that wineries, cideries, and breweries are showing industry leadership and innovation over the past year.
The Move to Virtual Tastings
If you have not tried this yet, what is stopping you? Last year when sales channels shut down, out of necessity, businesses developed new and evolving DTC revenue channels through virtual tastings. Many cideries, wineries, and breweries have found great success taking their tastings online, both financially and with customer engagement. This is still happening and will likely stay.
Expanding beyond the monetary rewards of virtual tastings, businesses can deliver intimate experiences in homes, offices, and kitchens across a wide geography; and engage in meaningful interactions that both the public and wineries were craving. This has resulted in strengthened relationships with loyal customers and wine clubs, and increased spending within this segment.
Virtual Tourism
As an expansion of the virtual tasting, brands are doing more live streaming, or recorded video if there’s no Wi-Fi in the field. This is a way to bring the vineyard to the people when the people cannot come to the vineyard. If wineries have not invested in video yet, now is the time.
New Packaging Formats
The changes over the past year in shopping and drinking patterns led to a shift towards large packaging formats, such as bag-in-a-box, and small packaging formats, such as cans. Canned wines have been gaining momentum for some time, and this trend has been accelerated by the pandemic. While the expansion of the bag-in-a-box format is seen more as a temporary trend driven by Covid shopping habits and peoples’ desire to stock up, canned wine has long term appeal.
Millennials of legal drinking age are drawn to the convenience of canned wine, as well as its environmental aspects, portion control, and fun packaging approach.
Product Line Expansions – Low Alcohol and Seltzer
This is only starting in BC: low alcohol wines. No- and low-alcohol wines only represent a fraction of global wine consumption as well, but they are experiencing double-digit growth rates globally. Companies are increasingly investing in dealcoholisation processes and campaigns to increase consumer awareness and we can expect more brands to offer their own interpretations of these dry, low-alcohol drinks.
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Green Screen IPA
The packaging design of Green Screen IPA is exactly that – a green screen.
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Green Screen IPA in action
U.K.-based market research firm, Wine Intelligence, sees a coming push by wine producers “to ride the hard seltzer wave.” Mass-market wine brand Barefoot launched four last year made from white wine, seltzer water, and natural flavours, with a mere 4% alcohol. They’re lighter and crisper than canned wine-based spritzers, which naturally contain more wine.
Retail Reigning
2020 showed us that the traditional grocery store is not going anywhere, and creative retail displays play a key role in getting your wine brand off the shelf and closer to the consumer. Effective retail displays can influence consumer taste and help your brand rise to the top. Using graphic applications like wine case sleeves, case stackers, and custom backer cards are all unique ways to stand out in retail settings. These materials, made from cardboard, are easy to assemble, recyclable, and can be digitally printed to reflect the current seasonal promotions.
AR Packaging
The advances in what we do with the smartphones in our hands has led to the success of augmented reality (AR) apps. Innovative beverage alcohol producers are using AR technology to promote their products. Using AR technology, wine companies enable customers to point their smartphone at the wine bottle, and the app installed on their phone pulls up detailed information. The information can be about the brand quality and features, but they are most successful when they provide users with interactive and engaging content that gives a glimpse into a brand’s story and history.
An Australian company launched the 19 Crimes wine label based on British prisoners who were sent to Australia after they committed a crime listed in a set of 19 felonies. The characters on the wine bottle narrate the brand story in an interesting and entertaining manner. It motivates the people to buy more to collect all the stories narrated via the interactive AR app. Their success in marketing the 19 Crimes wine label motivated others to follow suit and create similar AR apps. The successful 19 Crimes app has been downloaded more than a million times!
Invisible Packaging
I want to leave you with what I think is one of the most fun and of-the-moment innovations. R&B Brewing released Green Screen IPA, “an unprecedented beer for an unprecedented time.” The packaging design of Green Screen IPA is exactly that – a green screen. With a little bit of planning, you can attend your virtual meeting with your ‘invisible’ beer in hand. R&B Brewing’s website (randbbrewing.com/greenscreenipagreenscreen) has some how-to tips to show you how to harness the magic for yourself.
Leeann Froese owns Town Hall Brands See more at townhallbrands.com or on social @townhallbrands